Question #1041
A global enterprise operates microservices distributed across multiple AWS accounts. The organization needs to centrally monitor and analyze latency issues within its cross-account service interactions. Which AWS service should be used to address this requirement?
AWS X-Ray
Amazon CloudWatch
Amazon VPC flow logs
Amazon OpenSearch Service
Explanation
AWS X-Ray (A) is the correct answer because it specializes in tracing requests across distributed systems, including cross-account microservices. It visualizes service maps and latency data, enabling centralized analysis of performance issues.
- Why not B (CloudWatch)? While CloudWatch monitors metrics and logs, it lacks X-Ray's granular request-level tracing for latency analysis in distributed architectures.
- Why not C (VPC flow logs)? VPC flow logs focus on network traffic monitoring and do not provide application-layer latency insights.
- Why not D (OpenSearch Service)? OpenSearch is a search/analytics tool but requires manual integration for tracing, unlike X-Ray's built-in distributed tracing capabilities.
Key Points: X-Ray supports cross-account tracing, service maps, and latency analysis—critical for microservices. Other services lack end-to-end request visibility.
Answer
The correct answer is: A